Shoulder strap for wearing apparel



April 28, 1925. ssafisfi A. A. HODGKINS SHOULDER STRAP. FOR WEARING APPAREL F lafsebt. 13, 1922 '0 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

, ed an improvement in Shoulder Straps tor Wearing Apparel, of which the following is Patented Apr. 28, H525.

ALBERT n. nonenrnsgos niunenronr, oolvnncrrcur, asers-non so THE *AMEBICAN FABRIGS COMPANY,- OFEBRIDGEPORE} CONNECTIGUT, A CORPORATION 013 CO1\T NECTICUT.

SHOULDER STZRAIP' FOR EWEEARI NG APPAREL,

Application filedfieptemben 13, 1922. Serial No. 58 ?,94. 6.

To aZZ whom it may canoe m:

Be it known that .I, ALBERTA. l-Ionenrus, a citizen of the United. States residing at 1.4-1 Bronx Avenue, Bridgeport,- county, of l airtield, t'ltate of Connecticut, have inventa specification.

This in ventlon relates to wearing apparel, and has fol-an ob ect to provide a shoulder strao for a lad s arment whicln-will not 7 i z: a slip 'l'rom the shoulder,

lVith this object in view, I have devised a.

shoulder strap as illustrated in 'theaccom panying tlI'fl..'W1l)g,']1'l which 1 is a view showing theuse of my improved shoulder strap.

Fig. 2 is a front view showing the shoulder line andthe top ot' onesideof a garment with my improved shoulder strap attacher'l and showingin-dotted lines theold type of shoulder strap.

Fig. 3 is a plan. view of a. section of strap or ribbon according to my invention under uniform tension throughout the width there of, and

Fig. 4 shows a similarsection not under tension showing the shape it will naturally assume, the amount of curvature being somewhat exaggerated for better illustration.

In the specification and claims I use the phrase horizontal line of the garment to mean the top 18 when the wearer is upright and this top is straight, as in that position it would be substantially in a horizontal plane.

In the use of the ordinary shoulder strap, which comprises a straight piece of tape or ribbon, if it is ordinarily attached to a garment at substantially right angles to the horizontal line of the garment, it Will be ap parent as the strap goes substantially vertically over the shoulder and the shoulder line is inclined, that it has a high and low side in comparison to the horizontal line of the garment, and the strap, it held taut, will bear on the shoulder only at the inner edge ithereot, and will be spaced from the shoulder at its outer edge. Thus the entire strain is on the inner edge, and as the strap tends to assume a position whereby it will lie flat on the shoulder, it will move outwardly, and slip from the shoulder.

In an attempt to overcome this objection,

' outer threads.

straight straps, instead of beingsecured to the ga-rn'ient normal to or at right angles to thel horizontal line thereof, are sometimes secured nearer to the center of the garment. and at an acute angle to the horizontal line thereof. it strap secured in this manner will, lie flat on theshoulder, but is objectionable as the point of attachment is near the center ot the body instead o f near the sides,

and can not beused with certain, cuts oi .outer garments, and when used .onouter garments themselves does not loolewell.

In Fig. 2 l have shown the outline of the shoulder, and a portion of the garment with these two types of straps, the old. style, being. shown in dotted lines. Iny-tull' lines. and superimposed on these I have drawn my improved shoulder strap. It will be evident from this'figure that my. strap is'secured to the garment normal to or at right angles to the horizontal line ofthe garn'ient,

and'at the same point as'is the straight strap,

but that as it passes over the shoulder it lies flat on the shoulder as does the inclined. strap. In this Fig. 2 the straight strap is indicated by the dotted lines 7 to 8, the inclined strap is indicated by dotted lines 9 to 10, and my improved strap is indicated by full lines 8 to 9.

In Fig. 1 I have indi rated how a pair of straps made according to my invention lie on the shoulders, the straps being indicated by numerals 18 and 19. These straps are so desi ned that each will pull evenly on both of its sides when worn on the shoulder even though the line of the shoulder has a high and low side in comparison to the horizontal line of the garment. This is accomplished by weaving the strap longeron one edge than on the other, so that when attached to the garment as shown, the inner edge 20 will be longer than the outer edge 21, and it will thus lie Hat on the shoulder line while attached at right angles to the garment.

in weaving, the warp threads at one edge are longer than at the other edge, and the threads intermediate the edges are of va ried lengths intermediate the lengths of the Each thread may be a different length than each of the other threads, and increasing gradually from one side to the other, or there may be a series oi. groups of threads with each thread of a group oi the same length, but each group being of a different length from the adjacent groups to secure the same result. This is indicated at 22 at the right hand of Fig. 3. The filling threads are spaced a slightly greater distance from each other on the side of the tape or ribbon, having the long warp threads than they are on the side having the short warp threads, so that the finished tape or ribbon, when not under tension and allowed to assume its natural position, will be curved in the plane of the ribbon as indicated in Fig. a, and the filling threads will be substantially on the radii of the curve and at right angles to the warp threads. In Fig. 4 these filling threads are indicated at 23 and the warp threads at 24, the center of the curve being indicated at G. hen, however, a uniform tension is placed on the warp threads throughout the width of the ribbon, the warp and filling threads will shift relatively to each other, and allow the ribbon to assume a straight position, as shown in Fig. This effect is indicated by the light lines in Fig. 4k, in which I have shown the two outer warp threads only at 25 and 26. As these threads are drawn straight from the curved positions, by striking arcs 2'7 and 28 with centers at 29 and 30 (on the center line of the piece of ribbon or tape) from the points 31 and 32 where, for example, a filling thread 33 intersects these warp threads, then the points 34 and 35 where the filling thread intersects the straightened warp threads will be determined.

Having thus set forth the nature ot my in vention what I claim is:

l. A woven shoulder strap for wearing apparel of substantially even width with its edges parallel with the warp ot' the cloth and longer on one side than on the other so that when attached at sul'istantially right angles to the horizontal line of the garment as worn it will be higher on the inner side than the outer and thus lie flat on the shoulder.

2. A garment, and a woven shoulder strap of substantially even width secured to the garment at substantially right angles to the horizontal line of the garment, the edges of the strap being parallel with the warp ot the cloth and of greater length on the inner than on the outer side so that when worn it will lie flat on the line of the shoulder.

3. A garment, and a woven shoulder strap of even width secured to the garment at substantially right angles to the horizontal line of the garment, the edges of the strap being parallel with the warp of the cloth and the inner warp threads of said strap being longer than the outer warp threads so that the strap is longer on its inner edge than its outer edge.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ALBERT A. HODGKINS. 

